Wire mesh barrier for turnpikes and method for erecting same



May 19, 1970 R. A. HOMAS 3,512,758

WIRE MESH BARRIER FOR TURNPIKES AND METHOD FOR ERECTING SAME Filed Sept. 12, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet l FIG 7 INVENTOR RCBERT ALBERT THMAS BY w I 5 PA mama 0- mL 5 PnRKm/L ATTO R N E Y5 M y "19:70 R1 A THcsmAs 'f1*"' 12;75

WIRE MESH BARRIER FOR TURNPIKES AND- METHOD FOR ERECTING SAME Filed Sept; 12, 1968 2 SheetS-heefl? INVENTOR IQo BE RTT ALBERT THOMAS 5 pARRom QML pARRow- ATTORNEYj United States Patent M Int. Cl. Einr 15/00 U.S. Cl. 25613.1 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A wire mesh fence attached to fence posts. Cables of the fence kept under a strong tension force which is considerably greater than the usual tension of several kilograms.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The invention relates to wire mesh barriers and particularly to those which are used as fences and as a safety glide rail or barrier on turnpikes. Fences on the side at the turnpikes, superhighways or as center-dividers of motor vehicle routes are known for intercepting or catching a vehicle veering off the road and for preventing head-on collisions. When a vehicle hits the barrier, the latter is subjected to a severe deformation and more often is disrupted. The vehicle keeps obviously going for a short distance and drags the torn wire mesh along balling the meshes together. This results in considerable damage to the glide rail without resulting necessarily in the efliciency of the latter in aiding to restore the control of the vehicle. The cause of this inherent inefliciency is the normally low tension of the wire mesh fence which is suflicient for maintaining an esthetic vertical appearance but does not have the strength to resist a severe impact. This problem is intended to be solved by the present invention.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The invention consists in such movel features, construction, arrangements, combinations of parts and improvements as may be shown and described in connection with the device herein disclosed by way of example only and as illustrative of a preferred embodiment. The basic concept of the invention is to obtain a safety device for use along super-highways in which a substantial portion of the kinetic energy of an impacting vehicle is distributed over several elements to which the barrier or glide rail is attached and particularly over several cables. In most cases, where the impact is moderate, a rupture does not occur, but in case of a greater energy whereby meshes of the fence are torn by the impact, the fence which is an integral part with the cables or other foundation elements, is no longer dragged along with the vehicle. Thus the permanent deformation is greatly reduced whereby the costs of the repairs diminished.

The invention deals with a method of tensioning a highway barrier fence comprising the steps of erecting at least one end post, anchoring at least two cables in proximity of each one of said end posts, stretching the fence barrier longitudinally, attaching the fence to the cables by means of strap members, stressing the fence to a longitudinal stress of substantially 400 kilograms per one meter of width, and securing the fence permanently under this stress.

The invention also provides a tool for distributing the tension force of a pulling cable over the entire height of a barrier fence prior to fixing thereof to a longitudinally extending cable, which tool comprises a bar or like member, a plurality of hooks arranged like teeth of 3,512,758 Patented May 19, 1970 a comb for engaging the meshes of the fence in a transverse line on one side of the bar, bracket means being provided on the opposite side of the hooks for fastening pulling means thereon.

Objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part hereafter and in part will be obvious herefrom or may be learned by practicing the invention, the samebeing realized and attained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations pointed out in the appended claims.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved wire mesh fence which may be used as a safety barrier or glide rail of a highway whereby said fence participates entirely in redressing of a vehicle without undergoing excessive damage; another object being to provide a method of tensioning the highway barrier fence.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a fence which is fixed on posts and on fence cables under a strong tension force which is considerably greater than the usual tension of several kilograms.

Another object of the invention is to provide a regular wire mesh fence in which the tension is preferably substantially 400 kilograms per meter of height of the fence.

Furthermore, it is an object of the invention to provide a safety barrier or glide rail carrying one or several cables to which the meshes of the fence are fastened at approximately every fifth to every tenth mesh.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a simple tool for distributing the tensioning force over the entire width of the fence web before the latter is fixed to at least one cable or to other elements of support.

A further object of the invention is to provide a tool which consists substantially of a bar having a series of hooks distributed over the length of said bar like teeth of a comb, for engaging the meshes of the fence.

Various further and more specific purposes, features and advantages will clearly appear from the detailed decription given below taken in connection with the accompanying drawing which forms part of this specification and illustrates merely by way of example one embodiment of the device of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the following description and in the claims, parts will be identified by specific names for convenience, but such names are intended to be as generic in their application to similar parts as the art will permit. Like reference characters denote like parts in the several figures of the drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of an end portion of the safety barrier or glide rail consisting of a wire mesh fence and of a part of such fence in the state of being erected;

FIG. 2 is a side view of the tool for distributing the tensioning force over the entire width of the fence;

FIG. 3 is a cross-section taken along the line 3-3 in FIG. 2 in an enlarged scale.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now in more detail to the drawing illustrating a preferred embodiment by which the invention may be realized, there is shown in FIG. 1 part of a safety glide rail or barrier during the operation of erecting. The line XX denotes the symmetry line of the part. It consists substantially of two end posts 1 (the post of the left part is not visible on the drawing) and of a cable 2 which is guided on posts 1 by a pulley 3 and which is anchored at the ends thereof in a block 4 made of concrete. Cable 2 is attached to a tensioning device 7 by means of a cable guide 5 which can slide on a plate 6. Tensiom'ng device 7 is connected to a rod or bar 8 which is held by a screw nut 9 and an elastic member or compression spring 10 on an anchor plate 11. An upper auxiliary cable 12 and a lower auxiliary cable 13 are guided over pulleys 14 and are fastened at anchor plate 11 by a pulley 15. The fence consists of several portions 16 and 16a, wherein portion 16 is an end portion which is attached to a bar 17 by one of its ends. Bar 17 is inserted through a line of transverse meshes, for example, and is in turn fixed by stirrups or the like means (not shown in the drawing) to post 1. The other portion 16a may constitute a second, symmetrical portion of the fence, which is fixed on the other end post (not shown in the drawing) or it may constitute an intermediate portion following the intended length of the safety glide rail or barrier. Each portion may have a length of say approximately 50 meters, for example.

After the erection the fence 16, 16a is itself under an increased longitudinal tension, evenly distributed over the entire width thereof and is futrhermore attached to cables 2, 12, and 13 every fifth to tenth mesh by metal straps 18. Steel wire of 2 to 3.5 mm. diameter may be preferably used as straps. In the case of a wire mesh fence with square meshes of 50 mm. side length, a steel wire of 3.5 mm. diameter will sustain a tension of at least 400 kilograms per one meter of width of the fence.

For the erecting of the fence, portion 16 thereof is at first fixed by one of its ends to bar 17, which in turn is then attached to end post 1. After that, the hooks 22 of a force distributing tool 23 are engaged in a transverse line 21 of meshes close to the other end of portion 16. Hooks 22 are at the ends of shafts 24 which are fixed in a stiff bar or pipe 25 similar to teeth of a comb. Each shaft 24 (FIGS. 2 and 3) is reduced in diameter and has a small collar 26 abutting against bar or pipe 25 and is tightened thereon by a screw nut 27 on the threaded end thereof. A jam nut 28 maintains correct fastening. Bar 25 has two brackets 29 shaped like stirrups on the opposite side of shafts 24. Brackets 29 permit bar 25 to be connected to a pull cable 31 by two converging cables 30. A dynamometer 32 and a spanner (not shown in the drawing) are arranged in series in pull cable 31 which is connected to a winch 34 or to a like pulling device, for example, to a tractor, by which a tensioning force F can be imparted to cable 31. This force is transferred to fence 16 and evenly distributed over the width thereof by the hooking and force distributing tool 23. When portion 16 of the fence has been tensioned, it is fixed on cables 2, 12 and 13 by straps 18. After portion 16 has been erected, portion 16a will then be erected, which might be a second terminal portion installed in the same manner but starting from the second end post. The second portion is eventually connected with portion 1 6 by straps; or if in the case of an intermediate portion, it will be first attached to portion 16 at the end thereof.

While the invention has been described and illustrated with respect to a certain preferred example which gives satisfactory results, it will be understood by those skilled in the art after understanding the principle of the invention, that various other changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A highway barrier comprising, in combination, at least two posts spaced from each other and having base portions anchored below the surface of said highway to maintain said posts in upright position; an upper cable stretched between the upper portions of said posts and fastened with at least one end to a first rod member extending beneath the highway surface; a lower cable stretched between the lower portions of said posts; an intermediate cable stretched between said posts and arranged between said upper and lower cables; adjustable tensioning means beneath the highway surface and attached to one end of said intermediate cable; guide means in proximity of said tensioning means for guiding said end of said intermediate cable to said tensioning means; auxiliary guide means adjacent to the base portion of the post in proximity of said tensioning means for guiding the end portion of said intermediate cable attached to said tensioning means over said post in proximity of said tensioning means; a second rod member beneath the highway surface and connected at one end to said tensioning means; anchor plate means fixed in position beneath the highway surface and having two openings through which said rod members are freely slidable, said rod members projecting through said openings at an inclined angle with respect to the surface of said highway; spring means surrounding said rod members and abutting said anchor plate means at the lower ends of said rod members opposite to the ends of said rod members connected to said upper cable and tensioning means; fastening means at said lower ends of said rod members for retaining said spring means on said rod members and abutting against said anchor plate means, so that said cables are held elastically under tension; means for attaching said cables to said posts under tension; a meshed structure stretched under substantial tension between said posts; a bar member carrying a coiled portion of said meshed structure and secured to said post in proximity of said tensioning means; and securing means for securing said meshed structure to said cables so that said meshed structure is stretched between said posts with uniform tension transverse to the distance between posts.

2. A highway barrier as defined in claim 1, said meshed structure being under a tension force of at least substantially one hundred times greater than a conventional tension of substantially four kilograms per meter of height.

3. A highway barrier according to claim 2, the tension force of said structure being of the magnitude of 400 kilograms per one meter of height of said fence.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,031,115 7/1912 Hanson 254-83 1,178,410 4/1916 Pence 254- 1,275,900 8/1918 Gay 25626 1,913,715 6/1933 MacDonald 256-13.1 1,965,899 7/1934 Lambert 25 8 2,640,353 6/1953 Hefner 73-141 3,201,085 8/1965 Maley 254-64 3,353,795 11/1967 Muller 256-l3.1

DENNIS L. TAYLOR, Primary Examiner 

